


Screw the Flu

by siriuslyuptonogood



Series: Forever Might Not Even Be Enough [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Comfort, Daddy Kink, Fluff, Little!Bucky - Freeform, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Not Covid but Covid inspired, Sickfic, mentions of spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:01:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27544273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriuslyuptonogood/pseuds/siriuslyuptonogood
Summary: At the very beginning of the pandemic, Bucky gets the flu. It really sucks, but luckily his Daddy is there to take care of him.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Forever Might Not Even Be Enough [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013373
Comments: 7
Kudos: 140





	Screw the Flu

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! It's been a while. But here I am! Everything is changing. I'm three weeks from done with school forever, and holy shit, that's terrifying. But I'm moving forward, so I guess it's all gonna be okay. For some reason, I never thought I'd get here, but I have and I'm not sure what to do. More on that later. 
> 
> I wrote a covid inspired fic! Not covid tho. Flu. I had the flu last December and it was horrendous. I really was absolutely miserable. So, here is Bucko, absolutely miserable with the flu. Poor bab. ALSO, this is mostly just fluff. sappy, comfort, and fluff. I think that's just what we need right now.

Bucky is sick.

It's not covid. Steve took him to get tested. It was a whole thing too because the medical facility in the small town on which Steve's house technically sits right on the border didn't have the testing capability. So they had to go to another hospital. And Bucky didn't want to be anywhere but cuddled up with his daddy and Sloth. The hospital was an hour and a half each way and they were there for almost four hours.

He tested positive for the flu and they said it was unlikely he'd also have covid, but the results would take a few days.

Not covid.

But the flu is miserable.

Bucky spends a lot of time just laying on his daddy's chest in bed or on the couch. He has Sloth at all times, except in the bath. Steve doesn't even make him give him up to eat, but Bucky really isn't eating much. At first, he struggled to keep anything down, but Steve got some strawberry meal replacement shakes and those seem to be okay. Sometimes, Steve feeds him a few bites of pudding or jello too.

Mostly, Bucky sleeps.

One day, he coughs and coughs until he throws up, and Steve holds his hair back as he sobs into the toilet. After, there is a hot bath with some menthol and eucalyptus bath salts and Steve sits right by the tub.

"Daddy, I'm done being sick," Bucky mumbles as he submerges himself up to his face in the water. His voice is hoarse, a little raspy, but he doesn't think he sounds as bad as he feels. He feels a little like roadkill.

"I know, sweetheart," Steve says, trailing his fingers through the water. "But the flu just has to run its course."

"I got the dumb flu shot," Bucky grumbles.

"And that was very good, but sometimes you still get the flu." Steve taps his nose gently.

"I got so much to do. M'missing school."

"But your teachers understand."

Bucky sighs. He knows they do, but he can't help but feel anxious about falling behind. He sits up in the water.

He and Steve decided to leave the city as soon as NYU announced they were going online for the rest of the semester and Bucky had been glad for it. He prefers the house anyway, but being cooped up in the apartment during quarantine sounded awful. And the trees. He loves the trees. But he's been sick basically since they got here and hasn't gotten to go outside and see the trees except from the windows. Kinda breaks his heart a little.

Steve washes him and then helps him out of the tub. Bucky finds himself wrapped up in a big towel and carried out of the bathroom.

"Daddy," Bucky says, "wanna wear your hoodie."

"Course, Buck," Steve replies, but he first gets

him into a pair of briefs and some soft cotton pajama pants that have dragons on them. The hoodie is maroon and has NYU Dad written on the front. Bucky had gotten it for Steve at Christmas. It'd been half a joke, but he finds himself delighted every time he sees Steve in it. Because Steve is his daddy and him wearing the sweatshirt makes Bucky feel seen.

Once back downstairs, Steve tucks him in on the couch and goes to the kitchen. Bucky whines. He sniffles a little. He presses his face into Sloth's soft tummy and feels very sorry for himself.

"Daddy," he calls, but he finds he's not very loud. And daddy doesn't come. Tears leak onto Sloth's tummy.

He's still crying when Steve comes back into the room and the man sets a bowl down on the coffee table. He sinks to his knees in front of Bucky.

"What's wrong, baby?" He asks, swiping at the tears with his thumb.

"Voice is broken," Bucky says between hiccupy sobs, "called and Daddy not hear me."

"Oh, Buck." Steve cups his face. "I'm so sorry. I was getting you some jello. Do you want some jello, little love? Maybe it'll help your throat."

Bucky opens his mouth. He eats three bites of jello, then hides his face against Steve. He spends the rest of the day dozing on Steve's chest. They watch All Dogs Go to Heaven, but he doesn't remember most of it.

At bedtime, he gets Nyquil and makes a face until he gets his cup and takes enough sips of water to wash put the taste. Then he curls up with Steve in the big bed.

The little room is only for naps now because once Bucky got to sleep in Daddy's bed at the apartment, it was all over. Steve tried to put him to bed in the little room one time back at the house and Bucky pitched the biggest tantrum of their relationship. He'd thrown his pajamas and sloth, some toys, stomped his feet.

He ended up with a sore bottom and no bedtime story for the tantrum, but about halfway through the night, he stirred when Steve pulled him out of his bed and carried him back into the master.

"You were right," Steve said as he got them settled. "But the tantrum was still naughty, you hear me, baby?"

Bucky snuggled closer. "Uh-huh, daddy," he mumbled.

Bucky struggles to sleep without Steve now. A few times, Steve has had to go out of town on Captain America stuff and it's been hard. Bucky has pulled a couple of all-nighters, which Steve doesn't love, but he admitted that he doesn't sleep as well either when he's away. It's just better when they are together. Bucky is pretty sure that even sleeping while sick is easier with Steve.

The good thing about having Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, as a daddy is that it means daddy doesn't get sick. A fact that Bucky doesn't register until he's worked himself up after a surprise attack of coughing that happens all over Steve.

"I got my germs all over you," he sobs. "Now you're gonna get sick and feel awful and it's all my fault." And then he cries so hard that it's hard to breathe

"Baby, baby listen," Steve says, cupping his face in both hands. "Daddy can't get sick. Remember who I am? I'm okay. I know you're upset and you feel really yucky, but it's going to be okay. I'm okay. I'm Captain America. I can't get sick."

But it still takes Bucky a few minutes to calm down and then he just clings to Steve's front, a mix of exhaustion, embarrassment from what had just happened, and him feeling sorry for himself. He's really, really done being sick.

It takes a week for Bucky to start feeling better and he begs and begs and whines and ends up getting a warning swat for stomping his foot, but eventually, Steve agrees to let him walk outside. He is all bundled up, which he doesn't even complain about because he's just so happy to be able to go outside. He missed the trees. They just walk down to the gate and back, though about halfway back, Bucky starts to lose momentum, has a bit of a coughing fit, and ends up carried the rest of the way to the house. It brightens his spirits so much that Steve doesn't even grumble about it.

Eleven days after his first fever, Bucky wakes up before Steve and he feels good. He stretches and wants to get out of bed, but he also wants to cuddle and have kisses. He lays on his back for a few minutes and then rolls to face Steve. He watches him for a few minutes and then very, very slowly pokes him in the nose. He pulls his hand back, hiding it under the blankets, and just watches.

Steve takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly before his eyes flicker open, crinkling at the corners. An arm snakes out, wrapping around Bucky's waist and pulling him close.

Bucky squeals, but snuggles against Steve. He tucks his head under the man's chin.

"You feeling better?" Steve asks and Bucky can feel the words rumbling through his chest.

"Yeah. And I want pancakes."

Steve laughs. "Pancakes, huh? You want them?"

"Yeah! I do! Really a lot! Make pancakes, daddy!" Bucky says, curling his fingers into the fabric of Steve's soft sleep shirt.

"You telling me what to do, brat boy?" Steve asks. He trails his fingers down Bucky's side and starts to tickle him, making the boy squirm and squeal and immediately grab his arm, holding it tight to his chest.

"Please, Daddy, please. Please pancakes" Bucky tilts his head and presses a little kiss to Steve's jaw.

"That's better," says Steve.

"Cuddles first." Bucky smiles and holds tight. "Then pancakes."

"Cuddles first," Steve confirms and he curls his fingers through Bucky's hair, wraps one leg around both of the boy's and circles torso with his other arm, hand resting flat against the middle of his boy's back.

Bucky sighs, content to be engulfed by Steve's embrace. He's glad he feels better. But he's even more glad that he has Steve, his Daddy, to take care of him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr! Siriuslyuptonogood


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